susceptibility

/səˌseptəˈbɪləti/ (bre, ipa) · /səˌseptəˈbɪləti/ (ame, ipa) · /sə-ˌsep-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)

susceptibility — noun

1. the inability to resist harmful influences, diseases, or other negative effects

1.名詞B2
釋義

the inability to resist harmful influences, diseases, or other negative effects that most people or things can withstand

例句

Doctors told Nkechi that her weak immune system raised her susceptibility to common infections.

collocation: susceptibility to [disease/infection]

The new drug lowers susceptibility to certain types of skin cancer in older patients.

pattern: lower/increase/reduce susceptibility to [condition]

同義詞
  • vulnerability

    broader term that includes physical, emotional, and situational weakness; 'susceptibility' adds the idea of lacking internal resistance

  • sensitivity

    focuses on strong reaction to a stimulus; often used for allergies or emotional responsiveness

  • predisposition

    a natural tendency or genetic likelihood toward a specific condition, especially in medical contexts

反義詞
  • resistance

    the ability to fight off harm or infection; 'resistance' is the active counterpart of 'susceptibility'

  • immunity

    complete protection against a disease, making one not susceptible at all

文法句型

susceptibility + to + noun phrase

susceptibility + to + -ing verb form

用法筆記

Most common in health, medicine, and agriculture contexts. The noun is typically followed by the preposition 'to', which introduces the harmful thing (disease, influence, damage). Unlike the adjective 'susceptible', the noun is almost always uncountable in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌His susceptibility of infections worried the doctors.
✅His susceptibility to infections worried the doctors.
💡The correct preposition is 'to', not 'of'.
❌Smoking increases susceptibility for lung disease.
✅Smoking increases susceptibility to lung disease.
💡Always use 'to', not 'for'.

2. the part of a person's emotional nature that is easily wounded or offended by th

2.名詞C1
釋義

the part of a person's emotional nature that is easily wounded or offended by the words or actions of others

例句

Wren was careful not to offend anyone's religious susceptibilities during the ceremony.

pattern: possessive + susceptibilities (plural form)

The Morning Post article mocked Hakka wedding traditions, ignoring the community's cultural susceptibilities.

pattern: [adjective] susceptibilities

同義詞
  • sensitivity

    overlaps significantly but 'susceptibilities' specifically implies vulnerability to being hurt, not just awareness

  • sensibilities

    a near-synonym; 'sensibilities' emphasises refined or cultivated feelings, while 'susceptibilities' emphasises the ease of being hurt

  • touchiness

    more informal and less precise; implies being easily annoyed rather than deeply wounded

反義詞
  • resilience

    the ability to recover quickly from emotional hurt, the opposite of being easily wounded

  • thick skin

    informal idiom describing someone who is not easily hurt by criticism or offense

文法句型

someone's susceptibilities

[adjective] susceptibilities (e.g. religious susceptibilities)

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the plural form (susceptibilities) when referring to someone's feelings. Commonly preceded by a possessive (her susceptibilities, the group's susceptibilities) or an adjective describing the area of sensitivity (religious, political, cultural, personal). This sense is formal or literary and is rare in everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌I was afraid of hurting his susceptibility.
✅I was afraid of hurting his susceptibilities.
💡Use the plural form when referring to a person's sensitive feelings.
❌She has a strong susceptibility.
✅She has strong susceptibilities.
💡The singular suggests the medical/general meaning; use the plural for the feelings sense.